M.P. horrified

Press, 24 March 1988, Page 6

M.P. horrified

PA Hamilton A week-long tour of New Zealand has left a British member of the European Parliament shocked at the mess of the New Zealand econjomy. ; Conservative party I member of. the Euro) I pean Parliament, Mr Paul Howell, said in Hamilton that he was “horrified at the mess, horrified at levels of debt and rather con; cerned at your private |sation.” He said privatisation I was being done for the wrong reasons and was selling off the family silver instead of improving efficiency.

Mr Howell, a farmer; who represents; 549,900 people j in I Norfolk! County — the equivalent, of eight British) constituencies! —• sits on committees | that deal with agriculture’, budget and overseas I relations for Europe. I j X| '. I He said New Zealand was the| only!country in the world to have tried removing agriculture protectionism and he had wanted to see “how the patient was doing.” Every! country which had deregulated, had started ! with industry and the labour market. The life blood was draining; | away from New Zealand’s agricul-

tural sector, the basis of the] |, country’s I wealth, while everybody else, inc! tiding public sen vahts, rolled around on top. of it,” said Mr HqWeli. He predicted that NeW Zealand’s h butter quota in Europe would drop by 29H to 3M9 tonne as part of “grief sharing” with hard hit European farmers. The present 744 M tonne quota expires in August kew Zealand was nalye about its status in th 4 world market and in th 4 ; way it; “tried to throw its weight around in la moral sense” with its] nuclear policy, he said.